ben just emitting a 32 tweet post (I'll do me best)
Packed courthouse this morning. Lots of media, visitors, UI spokeswoman, Ms. Zhang's family and lawyers, clerks, etc. People standing in the back (1/32)
In his closing argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene Miller stood at the lectern facing the jury, and tied together the evidence presented over the last eight days, from the recording to Ms. Zhang's DNA at Christensen's apartment. (
"He kidnapped her, he murdered her, and he covered up his crime," Miller began, "after months of planning and premeditation.
This case has "always been about the search for Yingying," he said. "There is only one person that is responsible, and he sits right there, the defendeant Brendt Christensen," who was wearing khakis and a blue dress shirt. (4
He said Christensen's "downward spiral," as the defense put it, was "caused by the defendant's own decisions … that were the product of a 27 year old man afraid to give up his way of life," ie, finding a job (5/32
Miller said, "idle hands are the devil's workshop," and argued Christensen used his idle time to plan his murder. "He didn't know (his victim) by name. She was still in China." (6/32)
In December 2016, he drunkenly told his wife about his interest in serial killers, which spooked her, Miller said. (7/32)
And in March 2017, he told an intern at the UI counseling center that he had made murderous plans, but abandoned them, Miller said.
Miller said that when Christensen's wife left for the weekend in June 2017, Christensen had the opportunity to act on his plans. (9/32
He argued that Christensen attempted to pick up a woman that morning and picked up Ms. Zhang in the afternoon by pretending to be a police officer. (10
Miller said Christensen repeated how Christensen himself claimed he killed Ms. Zhang, and noted that Ms. Zhang's backpack, glasses, clothes and body have never been found (11/32
Miller then noted the extensive cleaning done at his apartment and twice in his Astra, which his wife said was normally never cleaned.
He argued the evidence showed Ms. Zhang's blood ran down the walls and pooled in the carpet, soaking it to the tack strip under the carpet.
Christensen also faces two counts of lying to the FBI, though Miller said Christensen's "lies are too numerous to detail." (
Miller said it was "chilling to imagine the fear (Ms. Zhang) must've felt" when she got into Christensen's car and realized he was not a cop and wouldn't be taking her to One North to look at a new apartment (1
"He knew exactly what he was doing," Miller said. "This was cold, and this was calculated." (16/32)
Said Christensen had "been planning and fantasizing about this moment for months," he said. "She was an object for him to fulfill his dark desire, which was to kill for the sake of killing." (
He said "tragically, the evidence of this (Yingying's death) is overwhelming. Yingying has never been seen.
"Although he raped her, this was not about sex... this was always about murder," Miller said.
Anticipating the defense's argument, he said, "This was not an impulsive drunken act." And said his ex-wife and ex-girlfriend were not to blame. He concluded after 68 minutes (20/32)
In her closing argument, Assistant Federal Defender Elisabeth Pollock said they weren't blaming his ex-wife or ex-girlfriend. "We never said that it's her fault.... It's Brendt's fault." (21/32
But she said, "we're trying to show you context", bc "you have to go into the next phase of trial" to decide Christensen's sentence: life in prison or death. "The government wants to take his life." (22/32)
Miller objected to Pollock bringing this up, as the jury was instructed not to consider possible punishments when deciding his guilt.
Pollock moved on, describing the wire recording of Christensen as "awful. It's horrible. It makes you hate him." But she told the jury to not let their emotions overcome facts. (24/3
She said the defense tried to show what kind of person Christensen is, struggling with alcohol and dark thoughts, but unable to get help, telling the counseling center, "I don't want to be this person."
"He struggled,…and ultimately, he didn't win," Pollock said. And "an innocent person is gone.
She said BDSM may be perfectly fine for some people, but "It was not OK for Brendt" as a "link was established for him between sex and violence."(BS)
She said the evidence is clear that Christensen killed Ms. Zhang, and "I expect that you will" find him guilty. "But we're going to move on after that
And she encouraged the jury to keep an open mind and to remember what has been proven and what has not. (
he noted that Ms. Zhang's DNA was only found in the bedroom, not the bathroom, and that jurors shouldn't make assumptions about what may have happened. (30/32)
She they shouldn't assume everything Christensen said on the recording about how he killed Ms. Zhang is true, esp. given his claim of 13 victims. (31
She wrapped up her argument in 10 minutes, and after a brief rebuttal by Miller, the jury was sent to deliberate at 11:35 a.m. (32
LIVE: The trial of Brendt Christensen, Day 9